Our Summer List – We Did It ALL

This has been the best Summer ever, according to the boys and I. This is the first year I’ve been off all Summer long, being on maternity leave has certainly had its perks this year. Not only have I gotten to spend all Summer with my gorgeous boys and baby girl, but we had fantastic weather to go with it. At the start of the Summer holidays we made a list of all the things we wanted to do over the Summer. We all added to it and this is what we came up with:-

1. Climb a tree - We climbed lots of trees2. Roll down a really big hill - They rolled down a hill & got covered in grass3. Go on a fair ground ride - The boys went on a ride at Wheelgate Park in Nottingham4. Build a den - The boys built a den in the woods5. Skim a stone - We all need more practice at this one but we gave it a go6. Run around in the rain - It rained7. Fly a kite - We flew the kites the boys got a pig & a bee. Lucas was a natural8. Catch a butterfly - We found loads of butterflies in Nottingham9. Open your own shop – We got the boys a cardboard shop from Ikea & they loved it10. Read and watch Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Lucas is obsessed with Roald Dahl

11. Go to see a show - We went to see Mickey’s Rockin’ Roadshow, read about it here12. Play Rounders - The boys played rounders with their cousins at the park13. Watch Starwars - A big step for their daddy & they really enjoyed it14. Learn to ride a bike - Both learnt to go without stabilisers15. Get a reading medal from the library - Both completed the Summer reading challenge16. Make a daisy chain - We made a daisy bracelet for each of us17. Make binoculars - We did various crafts one included binoculars as seen here18. Paint a ceramic animal - We have done this in the past, but the boys love it19. Make colourful playdoh - We even added scent and glitter20. Go on a boat- The boys went on a small round boat with their daddy at Wheelgate park

21. Pick raspberries growing in the wild - There were some raspberries growing in the park22. Explore inside a tree - We explored a few trees & looked inside them23. Visit a farm - We visited a farm and the boys fed some of the animals24. Make and fly a hot air balloon - We did this at the science centre & it was so much fun25. Make a grass trumpet - The boys haven’t mastered it yet, but it was fun26. Go to the cinema - We went to see Smurfs 2 which you can read about here27. Go star gazing - We cheated a little, we did stargazing at the Science Centre28. Climb a huge hill - We climbed a huge hill in the forest, even with the stroller29. Bake a cake - We made several cakes, but our favourite was the Smurf ones here30. Hold a scary beast - Both boys held lizards at Wheelgate Park & I even touched a snake

31. Hunt for bugs - We hunted for bugs in the woods32. Find some wild flowers - We found some gorgeous wild flowers33. Catch a falling leaf - Many a fallen leaf was caught and pictures were made34. Have a picnic - The boys & I had many a picnic in our local park35. Discover what’s in a pond - We found some big giant fish36. Make a home for a wild animal - As a family we built a bird box at the church37. Meet a hero - The boys met the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles at Nickelodeon Land38. Do something scary - Lucas did water walking, it looked amazing & he loved it39. Splash in the paddling pool - We had fun in the paddling pool in the warm weather40. Go to a football stadium - Daddy took the boys to both Man U & Man City stadiums

41. Plant it, grow it, eat it - We planted strawberries & lavender both of which we’ve picked42. Play in the woods - We had great fun playing in the woods43. Build a robot - More fun with cardboard boxes & tin foil44. Go to the zoo - We went to Blackpool zoo & even saw dinosaurs45. Make a car - Fun with cardboard boxes46. Paint rocks - Lucas painted a hedgehog on his rock47. Eat Marshmallows from the BBQ or fire - I made some sort of schmoes on the BBQ48. Learn a new skill - We had great fun learning archery as a family at Sherwood park49. Learn a new sport - Other than daddy, the rest of us hadn’t played tennis before50. Go down a water slide - After some coaxing Lucas went down a water slide

We loved our holiday, which I will blog about soon. We loved learning to ride their bikes. And most importantly we loved being together. Lots of laughter, smiles, kisses and hugs were had. It has certainly made me feel like I want to be off work with them forever, well you never know, I might win the lottery.

We learnt to be a family of five, Aria fitted in like she’s always been there. She was patient when the boys were doing something she couldn’t join in with. The boys included her in activities where she could join in. Everyday they watched their little sister in awe as she learnt to do something new from sitting up, to eating, to cooing and giving them cuddles. Our perfect little family.

When I asked Tyler what his favourite thing was, he said it was being with me. When I asked Lucas he said his favourite thing was riding his bike.

Whatever happens we have all these wonderful memories and I will treasure them always.